Here, a Single Source Is the Only Witness

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Here, a Single Source Is the Only Witness The Spy Who Never Was The Strange Case of John Honeyman and Revolutionary War Espionage Alexander Rose sion so gravely threaten the John Honeyman is famed as Revolution’s survival. the secret agent who saved George Washington and the The problem is, John Honey- Continental Army during the man was no spy—or at least, dismal winter of 1776/77. At a not one of Washington’s. In this time when Washington had suf- essay I will establish that the fered an agonizing succession of key parts of the story were defeats at the hands of the Brit- The problem is, John invented or plagiarized long “ ish, it was Honeyman who after the Revolution and, Honeyman was no brought the beleaguered com- through repetition, have spy.…Key parts of his mander precise details of the become accepted truth. I exam- story were invented…and Hessian enemy’s dispositions at ine our knowledge of the tale, through repetition have Trenton, New Jersey. assess the veracity of its compo- become accepted truth. nents, and trace its DNA to the Soon afterwards, acting his single story—a piece of family part as double agent, Honey- history published nearly 100 man informed the gullible Col. years after the battle. 1 These Johann Rall, the Hessian com- historical explorations addition- ” ally will remind modern intelli- mander, that the colonials were in no shape to attack. Washing- gence officers and analysts that ton’s men, he said, were suffer- the undeclared motives of ing dreadfully from the cold and human sources may be as many were unshod. That bit- important as their declared ingly cold Christmas, neverthe- ones—particularly when, as less, Washington enterprisingly readers will see here, a single source is the only witness. crossed the Delaware and smashed the unprepared (and allegedly drunk) Hessians. Origins and Evolution Three days into the new year, he struck again, at Princeton, The Honeyman story has a inflicting a stunning defeat substantial pedigree in pub- upon the redcoats. Though lished histories. First publicly Washington would in the future appearing in 1873 in a New face terrible challenges, never Jersey journal, the tale has again would the Continental since 1898 been a mainstay in Army come so close to dissolu- Revolutionary War histories. In tion and neither would dissen- that year, William Stryker, All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this article are those of the author. Nothing in the article should be construed as asserting or implying US gov- ernment endorsement of an article’s factual statements and interpretations. Studies in Intelligence Vol. 52, No. 2 27 History or Family Fable? In 1898 William Stryker announced that the Honeyman story was a “well-established tradition.” began shooting up British patrols, and the rest of the country, in the words of a Briton in Virginia, ‘went lib- president of the New Jersey Telegram & Sun, published “A erty mad again.’” 10 The Wikipe- Historical Society, published Spy for Washington” in the pop- dia entry on Honeyman reflects the authoritative Battles of ular history magazine Ameri- this view. Trenton and Princeton, in can Heritage. 6 The piece which he announced that it was brought widespread attention already “a well-established tra- to Honeyman’s exploits and More recently, however, the dition that the most reliable cemented his reputation as Honeyman story has dimin- account of Colonel Rall’s post at Washington’s ace of spies in ished in importance, at least Trenton was given by Washing- Americans’ minds. Two years among general historians. Per- ton’s spy, John Honeyman.”2 later, John Bakeless, a former haps owing to its broad canvas, Soon afterwards, Sir George intelligence officer and author David McCullough’s 1776 omits Otto Trevelyan’s The American of Turncoats, Traitors and him, while Washington’s Cross- Revolution chimed in that the Heroes: Espionage in the Ameri- ing, David Hackett Fischer’s “conversation on a winter night can Revolution, portrayed Hon- exhaustive examination of between Washington and John eyman in the most glowing those remarkable nine days Honeyman settled the fate of terms. 7 between 25 December 1776 and Colonel Rall and the brigade 3 January 1777, hedged on the which he commanded.”3 A gen- In March 1961, as part of question of authenticity. “[The eration later, in the 1920s, NBC’s Sunday Showcase drama story] might possibly be true, Rupert Hughes’s inspirational series, Honeyman’s adventure but in the judgement of this biography George Washington was celebrated before a historian, the legend of Honey- declared that “a splendid monu- national audience. Titled “The man is unsupported by evi- ment glorifies Nathan Hale and Secret Rebel,” the special tanta- dence. No use of it is made his name is a household word in lized viewers with the advertis- here.” 11 America, though he failed in his ing line, “It was tar and short mission; but for John feathers for the ‘traitor’ who Intelligence historians, per- Honeyman, who made the first claimed to know George haps paradoxically, tend to great victory possible, there is Washington!” 8 A decade later, oblivion.” 4 Richard Ketchum’s bestselling give more credence to Honey- history of the Trenton and Prin- man’s achievements. George In 1948, Alfred Bill’s The ceton campaign, The Winter O’Toole’s Honorable Treach- Campaign of Princeton helped Soldiers (1972), again paid lav- ery: A History of U.S. Intelli- rescue Honeyman from that ish tribute to Honeyman.9 gence, Espionage, and Covert awful fate by declaring him Action from the American Rev- “one of the ablest of Washing- As recently as 2000, Thomas olution to the CIA repeats the ton’s spies.”5 Even so, Hale Fleming, a Fellow of the Soci- traditional story. 12 The CIA’s retained his crown, while Hon- ety of American Historians and own useful history, The eyman’s fame remained con- an extraordinarily prolific nar- Founding Fathers of American fined to Revolutionary War rative historian, reasserted Intelligence, notes that Honey- buffs. Honeyman’s essential contribu- man’s intelligence work “came tion to Washington’s Trenton at a critical time for the Amer- That changed in 1957, when victory. Until that battle, “New ican side” and permitted “a Leonard Falkner, a features Jersey had been on the brink of strategic victory in political editor at the New York World- surrender; now local patriots and morale terms.” 13 28 Studies in Intelligence Vol. 52, No. 2 History or Family Fable? Deconstructing Honeyman The Honeyman story may be partitioned into the five funda- mental components that repeat- edly appear in accounts of his heroics. Linked together in a narrative, they may be defined as the “Ur-version” of Honey- man’s espionage career. Claim: John Honeyman, of Scottish ancestry, was born in Armagh, Ireland, in 1729 and was a soldier in General James Wolfe’s bodyguard at the battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, where the British victory eventually led to the creation of Canada. He helped bear the fatally wounded Wolfe from the field. Honeyman, however, was never a willing recruit and dis- liked being dragooned as a red- coat. Soon after Wolfe’s death, Private Honeyman was honor- ably discharged and made his way south. He reappears in Philadelphia in 1775. In the interim, he became a weaver, butcher, cattle-dealer, and the husband of Mary Henry. In early 1776, they and their young children move to The Honeyman story was retold in October 1941 in True Comics Number 5 Griggstown, New Jersey. (pages 49-54). The full issue can be found in the digital collection of the Michigan State University library. Evaluation: At the time of Honeyman’s birth, there was no sometime before 1746 and in Armagh and to have sailed record of a family of that name embarked on a small expedi- with Wolfe to Canada in 1758.14 living in the Armagh area, tion against Quebec that year. making the circumstances of Honeyman the future spy was There is no evidence, how- his birth difficult to certify. indubitably a Protestant, and ever, that he was reluctant to Alternatively, he may have almost definitely a Presbyte- join the army and, if nothing been born in Fife, Scotland, rian. Despite the uncertainty of else, the faith Wolfe reposed in though one genealogist has his birthplace, he appears to speculated that he was the son have taken the king’s shilling him indicates that he per- of a Captain John Honeyman, formed his duties with alacrity who had arrived in New York and enthusiasm. If his father Studies in Intelligence Vol. 52, No. 2 29 History or Family Fable? The two men decided that Honeyman “was to act the part of a spy for the American cause.” headquarters in White Plains, New York, between 1 and 10 November and thence Peek- skill between 11 and 13 Novem- were Captain Honeyman, the arranged a private meeting ber, ruling out Honeyman’s colors would have been a natu- with the general at Fort Lee, recruitment in that period; ral avenue for the young man. New Jersey. He had gained upriver from Manhattan, White The unsubstantiated belief that access by brandishing a lauda- Plains and Peekskill were quite Honeyman was suborned into tory letter of introduction from a trek from Griggstown. How- donning a uniform is almost Wolfe and declaiming his ever, Washington was at Fort certainly a later embellishment attachment to the cause of inde- Lee, only 50 miles away) from intended to demonstrate that pendence. The meeting was a 14 November to the 17th or this Scotch-Irish “outsider” was necessarily hurried one, but (in 18th. 18 The chronology there- secretly disaffected from his the words of the chief 19th cen- fore fits the story.
Recommended publications
  • The Revolutionary Movement in New York, 1773–1777
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge United States History History 1966 The Road to Independence: The Revolutionary Movement in New York, 1773–1777 Bernard Mason State University of New York at Binghamton Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Mason, Bernard, "The Road to Independence: The Revolutionary Movement in New York, 1773–1777" (1966). United States History. 66. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_united_states_history/66 The 'l(qpd to Independence This page intentionally left blank THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE The 'R!_,volutionary ~ovement in :J{£w rork, 1773-1777~ By BERNARD MASON University of Kentucky Press-Lexington 1966 Copyright © 1967 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY PRESS) LEXINGTON FoR PERMISSION to quote material from the books noted below, the author is grateful to these publishers: Charles Scribner's Sons, for Father Knickerbocker Rebels by Thomas J. Wertenbaker. Copyright 1948 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., for John Jay by Frank Monaghan. Copyright 1935 by the Bobbs-Merrill Com­ pany, Inc., renewed 1962 by Frank Monaghan. The Regents of the University of Wisconsin, for The History of Political Parties in the Province of New York J 17 60- 1776) by Carl L. Becker, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Copyright 1909 by the Regents of the University of Wisconsin.
    [Show full text]
  • “Extracts from Some Rebel Papers”: Patriots, Loyalists, and the Perils of Wartime Printing
    1 “Extracts from some Rebel Papers”: Patriots, Loyalists, and the Perils of Wartime Printing Joseph M. Adelman National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow American Antiquarian Society Presented to the Joint Seminar of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies And the Program in Early American Economy and Society, LCP Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia 24 February 2012 3-5 p.m. *** DRAFT: Please do not cite, quote, or distribute without permission of the author. *** 2 The eight years of the Revolutionary War were difficult for the printing trade. After over a decade of growth and increasing entanglement among printers as their networks evolved from commercial lifelines to the pathways of political protest, the fissures of the war dispersed printers geographically and cut them off from their peers. Maintaining commercial success became increasingly complicated as demand for printed matter dropped, except for government printing, and supply shortages crippled communications networks and hampered printers’ ability to produce and distribute anything that came off their presses. Yet even in their diminished state, printers and their networks remained central not only to keeping open lines of communication among governments, armies, and civilians, but also in shaping public opinion about the central ideological issues of the war, the outcomes of battles, and the meaning of events affecting the war in North America and throughout the Atlantic world. What happened to printers and their networks is of vital importance for understanding the Revolution. The texts that historians rely on, from Common Sense and The Crisis to rural newspapers, almanacs, and even diaries and correspondence, were shaped by the commercial and political forces that printers navigated as they produced printed matter that defined the scope of debate and the nature of the discussion about the war.
    [Show full text]
  • December 2017 Newsletter
    Freedom’s Voice The Monthly Newsletter of the Military History Center 112 N. Main ST Broken Arrow, OK 74012 http://www.okmhc.org/ “Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History” Volume 4, Number 12 December 2017 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year USS Oklahoma Memorial Important Dates The USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor December 24 thru January 1 – Christmas/New Year Holidays was constructed in 2007. The memorial honors the 414 sailors and fifteen Marines who died on Oklahoma, on December 7, Military History Center Closed 1941, and the following few days. Less than a third of the men on board when Oklahoma was torpedoed escaped. By the time The MHC will reopen January 2. Oklahoma was raised in 1943, the men’s identification had be- come separated from their remains. The Defense POW/MIA Happy Hanukkah Accounting Agency is currently engaged in a project to identify the unknowns by DNA matches. Several have already been identified and their remains returned to their families. From the Editor Throughout the year, we have endeavored to bring readers timely news of MHC activities and events, as well as interesting stories. Each month we highlight a specific exhibit or artifact of the museum. The MHC displays artifacts from all America’s wars from the Revolutionary War to the present War on Terror. Many of the MHC’s artifacts and photographs are unique to the MHC and cannot be found in any other museum. Artifacts are only part of the story. Our mission is “Promot- ing Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History”.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to the Battles of Trenton and Princeton
    Hidden Trenton Guide to the Battles of Trenton and Princeton Nine Days that Changed the World December 26, 1776 to January 3, 1777 A self-guided tour of the places and events that shaped the battles and changed the history of America Go to http://HiddenTrenton.com/BattleTour for links to online resources Updated 2017 Copyright © 2011, 2017 all rights reserved. The pdf file of this document may be distributed for non- commercial purposes over the Internet in its original, complete, and unaltered form. Schools and other non-profit educational institutions may print and redistribute sections of this document for classroom use without royalty. All of the illustrations in this document are either original creations, or believed by the author to be in the public domain. If you believe that you are the copyright holder of any image in this document, please con- tact the author via email at [email protected]. Forward I grew up in NJ, and the state’s 1964 Tricentennial cel- Recently, John Hatch, my friend and business partner, ebration made a powerful impression on me as a curious organized a “Tour of the Battle of Trenton” as a silent 4th grader. Leutez’ heroic portrait of Washington Cross- auction item for Trenton’s Passage Theatre. He used ing the Delaware was one of the iconic images of that Fischer’s book to research many of the stops, augmenting celebration. My only memory of a class trip to the park his own deep expertise concerning many of the places a year or two later, is peering up at the mural of Wash- they visited as one of the state’s top restoration architects.
    [Show full text]
  • HOUSE RESOLUTION Session of No
    PRINTER'S NO. 183 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RESOLUTION Session of No. 46 2017 INTRODUCED BY QUIGLEY, BAKER, BARRAR, BIZZARRO, BOBACK, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, COX, DiGIROLAMO, DRISCOLL, FREEMAN, GABLER, GILLEN, GREINER, GROVE, HEFFLEY, PHILLIPS-HILL, KNOWLES, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MARSICO, METZGAR, MILLARD, B. MILLER, MURT, NEILSON, ORTITAY, PEIFER, PICKETT, READSHAW, REESE, RYAN, SACCONE, SAYLOR, TOOHIL, WARD AND WATSON, JANUARY 31, 2017 INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JANUARY 31, 2017 A RESOLUTION 1 Recognizing December 26, 2016, as the 240th anniversary of the 2 Battle of Trenton. 3 WHEREAS, The American Revolution began in 1775 after the 4 British colonies began to rebel against the British empire; and 5 WHEREAS, By 1776, the Declaration of Independence was 6 ratified, and the new nation was struggling to fight against the 7 armed forces of their former king; and 8 WHEREAS, Commanded by General George Washington, the 9 Continental Army was the first organized militia assembled to 10 fight the Revolutionary War; and 11 WHEREAS, The Continental Army had suffered a series of 12 defeats and, without a victory, the army faced disbandment; and 13 WHEREAS, On Christmas Day of 1776, General George Washington 14 led his army of approximately 2,400 men, with cannons in tow, 15 across the icy Delaware River in an attempt to spring a surprise 1 attack against British forces; and 2 WHEREAS, Once the men crossed the Delaware River, they 3 completed a 19-mile trek during a freezing storm to Trenton, New 4 Jersey,
    [Show full text]
  • Immigrant Printers and the Creation of Information Networks in Revolutionary America Joseph M. Adelman Program in Early American
    1 Immigrant Printers and the Creation of Information Networks in Revolutionary America Joseph M. Adelman Program in Early American Economy and Society The Library Company of Philadelphia A Paper Submitted to ―Ireland, America, and the Worlds of Mathew Carey‖ Co-Sponsored by: The McNeil Center for Early American Studies The Program in Early American Economy and Society The Library Company of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania Libraries Philadelphia, PA October 27-29, 2011 *Please do not cite without permission of the author 2 This paper is a first attempt to describe the collective experience of those printers who immigrated to North America during the Revolutionary era, defined here as the period between 1756 and 1796. It suggests these printers integrated themselves into the colonial part of an imperial communications structure and then into a new national communications structure in order to achieve business success. Historians have amply demonstrated that the eighteenth century Atlantic economy relied heavily on the social and cultural capital that people amassed through their connections and networks.1 This reliance was even stronger in the printing trade because the trade depended on the circulation of news, information, and ideas to provide the raw material for its products. In order to be successful, one had to cultivate other printers, ship captains, leading commercial men, and far-flung correspondents as sources of news and literary production. Immigrants by and large started at a slight disadvantage to their native-born competitors because they for the most part lacked these connections in a North American context. On the other hand, some immigrant printers had an enormous advantage in the credit and networks they had developed in Europe, and which they parlayed into commercial and political success once they landed in North America.
    [Show full text]
  • Tory David Spat of Pennsnia and the Death of Amein Priolners of War Pilip Rale Huxtff Ce4kv
    185 - = Tory David Spat of Pennsnia and the Death of Amein Priolners of War Pilip Rale Huxtff Ce4kV The Old -e hAwX Amerias historical memory i very fagile. Today few recall tde fate of American naval prisoners held in New York during die Revoluionary War Of course, people of the 1780s and 1790s had a vivid scene in New York to jog thdir memories. Near tde location of the notorious British prison ships, slceletal r of dead American captives wer visible for yam Gradually destroyed by natural dements, the satred remnants were collected only in 1792. And in the eady years of the twentieth century, exavationsu for a subway tunnel dislosed still more bones assumed to belong to Anman prisoners of war' These pitiful tr aes notwithstanding, scholars have tended to attack the credibility of the numerous personal accounts-moedy memoirs-that claimed to portray conditions on board the floatig prisons. In 1909 James Ienox Banks, in an essay on Pnnsylvanian David Sproat, who was responsible for naval prisoners for some years, insisted that the memoirs presented unproved charge? of brutality V 61?N-w2 Ape 119 186 based on anti-British sentiments. Several decades later, Philip Davidson, in his well-regarded book, Propagandaand theAmerican Revolution, devoted some attention to the prison ships. He dismissed the revolutionaries' attacks as "war propaganda" and quoted some extreme examples as evidence. Davidson noted that during 1778 Elias Boudinot of New Jersey, who then investigated the matter, found the treatment of American naval prisoners to be acceptable. Significantly, Davidson's book was published in 1941, the year when the United States and Great Britain were to join in an alliance to destroy Nazi Germany.2 Although Davidson's opinion about the earlier outbreak of the Second World War is unknown, it can be guessed.
    [Show full text]
  • Frederick De Bary - New York the Lure of America………
    Frederick de Bary - New York The Lure of America………. “The most phenomenal migration of modern times began after the Napoleonic Wars – a tremendous movement of peoples which expanded for a full century. One phase of this movement was the ever- increasing flow of European migrants to the Americas…………..Between 1815 and 1865, some five million persons forsook the soil of Europe…………Of those who put their faith in the United States, the huge majority were Irish and Germans, not because of national characteristics, but because they were the most numerous of those who experienced the profound economic and social changes in the first half of the nineteenth century. Many left voluntarily when they saw little hope of altering their depressed legal or political status; others who tried to change this condition found it necessary to flee as exiles…………” From Robert Ernst: Immigrant Life in New York City: 1825 – 1863 - THE LURE OF AMERICA Google Books http://books.google.co.in/books?id=XQLYeUUdceoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Samuel Frederick de Bary……. In 1851, Frederick De Bary became the sole marketing agent in the United States and in Canada for P. A. Mumm which was located in Frankfurt am-Main and G. H. Mumm et Cie which was located in Reims. De Bary also became the sole agent for the Apollinaris Company Ltd. of London, U.K. in New York and in Canada. In 1852, de Bary began his business in America in Manhattan, New York at 60 New Street; his home was at 81 Woodhull Street in Brooklyn.
    [Show full text]
  • George Washington's Attacks on Trenton and Princeton, 1776-77
    Association of Former Intelligence Officers From AFIO's The Intelligencer 7700 Leesburg Pike, Suite 324 Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies Falls Church, Virginia 22043 Web: www.afio.com, E-mail: [email protected] Volume 25 • Number 1 • Spring-Summer 2019 $15 single copy price for the most part, made life difficult for the British When Intelligence Made a Difference garrisons. Using their knowledge of the geography, by extensive scouting and harassment tactics, they made it costly for British forces to forage and patrol — Middle Ages through 1799 — outside their lines.1 In addition to the accurate reconnaissance Washington had an agent, John Honeyman, with personal knowledge of the situation in Trenton and of the thinking of Colonel Johann Rall, the Hessian commander. Washington sent Honeyman to collect intelligence on the forces at Trenton and to plant false George Washington’s Attacks on information on his army’s activities just before the Trenton and Princeton, 1776-77 attack. He knew the Hessian forces had been in almost constant combat since the Battle of White Plains in late October and that the New Jersey Militia harassment by Ken Daigler had further weaken their combat effectiveness. He also knew that Rall, who had ignored orders from he second half of 1776 was a military disaster for Washington. His forces had been pushed out of TLong Island, New York City, across the Hudson and into New Jersey, with significant losses of men and supplies. Yet, in December, for the first time since the British offensive had begun, his commanders, and more importantly the New Jersey Militia command- ers, were providing useful intelligence on the enemy.
    [Show full text]
  • AAKASH PATEL Contents
    History AAKASH PATEL Contents Preface. 1 1. Dawn of Civilization. 2 Mesopotamia . 2 Ancient Egypt . 3 Indus River Valley . 5 2. Ancient Europe . 6 Persian Wars . 6 Greek City-States. 8 Rome: From Romulus to Constantine . 9 3. Asian Dynasties. 23 Ancient India. 23 Chinese Dynasties . 24 Early Korea . 27 4. The Sundering of Europe . 29 The Fall of Rome. 29 Building a Holy Roman Empire . 31 Islamic Caliphates . 33 5. Medieval Times . 35 England: A New Monarchy . 35 France: The Capetians. 42 Germany: Holy Roman Empire. 44 Scandinavia: Kalmar Union. 45 Crusades . 46 Khans & Conquerors . 50 6. African Empires . 53 West Africa . 53 South Africa. 54 7. Renaissance & Reformation. 56 Italian Renaissance . 56 Tudor England . 58 Reformation. 61 Habsburg Empires . 63 French Wars of Religion. 65 Age of Discovery. 66 8. Early Modern Asia . 70 Tsars of Russia . 70 Japan: Rise of the Shogun. 72 Dynastic Korea . 73 Mughals of India. 73 Ottomans of Turkey. 74 9. European Monarchy . 76 Thirty Years' War . 76 Stuart England and the Protectorate . 78 France: Louis, Louis, and Louis . 81 10. Colonies of the New World . 84 Pilgrims and Plymouth . 84 Thirteen American Colonies . 85 Golden Age of Piracy . 88 11. Expansionism in Europe. 89 Ascension of the Romanovs. 89 Rise of Prussia . 91 Seven Years' War . 92 Enlightenment . 93 Hanoverian Succession. 94 12. American Independence . 96 Colonies in the 18th Century . ..
    [Show full text]
  • First Battle of Trenton
    First Battle of Trenton Introduction The following tour is presented by the Trenton Historical Society with funding support from the New Jersey Historical Commission. Please begin this tour at the Trenton Battle Monument, located on the northern edge of downtown Trenton at the intersection of North Warren Street, North Broad Street, Pennington Avenue and Brunswick Avenue. Thank you for visiting Trenton and for your interest in the Battles of Trenton. By the middle of December 1776 it appeared that the American Revolution was all but over. General George Washington and the Continental Army had suffered a series of stunning defeats in New York at Brooklyn Heights, Harlem Heights, Throgs Neck, White Plains, and Fort Washington and had been chased across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania by the British Army. Congress questioned Washington’s ability to lead the Revolution. Washington’s troops were demoralized and ill-equipped. If the Revolution was to survive, the Americans desperately needed a victory. Washington decided to risk everything in a surprise attack on Colonel Johann Rall’s Hessian troops in the town of Trenton. Washington planned three separate but simultaneous movements across the Delaware River on Christmas night that would result in a convergent attack on Trenton before daybreak. But that night a violent winter storm pounded the Delaware Valley. Relentless snow, sleet and heavy ice thwarted all but one crossing. After battling sharp frost, high wind and heavy ice floes, only the force led by George Washington himself successfully crossed the Delaware at McConkey’s Ferry – ten miles north of Trenton and three hours behind schedule.
    [Show full text]
  • Stealth and Secrecy: the Culper Spy Ring's Triumph Over the Tragedy Of
    Stealth and Secrecy: The Culper Spy Ring’s Triumph over the Tragedy of Betrayal Andi Bradsher Junior Division Historical Paper Paper Length: 2,496 2 A group of brave Patriots faced the hangman’s noose daily while fighting for freedom during the American Revolution. Their weapons were not muskets or bayonets but stealth and secrecy. The Culper Spy Ring made many important discoveries, including the identification of Benedict Arnold’s tragic betrayal, which led to the Patriot triumph over the British in the Revolutionary War. When the British Army invaded New York City in September of 1776, they procured one of the largest cities on the continent.1 General George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, needed inside information about what transpired behind British lines in the city. Having been an officer in the French and Indian War, he knew the value of advance knowledge about the enemy’s plans. He wrote, “There is nothing more necessary than good intelligence to frustrate a designing Enemy: and nothing that requires greater pains to obtain.”2 Securing those spies proved to be difficult. One of Washington’s first agents to go behind British lines never made it out. Nathan Hale was hanged on September 22, 1776.3 Washington realized that in the future he would need an organized group of people to gather information. He chose a trustworthy officer to be the director of military intelligence. Benjamin Tallmadge wrote in his memoir, “...I opened a private correspondence with some persons in New York (for Gen. Washington) which lasted through the war.”4 These “persons” operating on Setauket, Long Island, and in New York City together became known as the Culper Spy Ring.
    [Show full text]